The internet equivalent of moving to Canada
But we're off to the USA to glimpse the dying days of the Biden regime (and other stuff too)
Seems people are departing X in droves, with some opting for Bluesky. Maybe they want to “send a message” to Trump and particularly his soon-to-be-appointed co-head of the Department for Government Efficiency (or “DOGE” for short. Who thought late-empire America would be so damn infantile?) It’s a move that’s the political equivalent of threatening to move to Canada (or for Brits, moving to an EU country; or for Latin Americans, moving to the US; everywhere has their own version). In any case, these changes in social media usage will impact politics - or really, hyperpolitics.
While the vibes in the US election may have been more low-key than last time, the mediatic channelling of hyperventilating political claims doesn’t seem likely to go away. Trump’s victory has brought out the usual hysterical reactions from liberals who insist it was white supremacy or male chauvinism or something that explains his return to the presidency. Meanwhile, the realignments underway mean the Democrats may finally have to abandon their identitarian complacency – and where the Democrats go, so do many other Western centrist parties. Add to this Trump’s stated intentions, regarding tariff barriers, free speech, Ukraine, the state bureaucracy, and much else – coupled with his unpredictability and unreliability – and we can see that politics will remain alive. The End of History remains very much over.
Alex and George are shortly off to New York, where among other things they’ll be taking part in Damage’s annual summit (if interested, email editors@damagemag.com with a note of inquiry). They’ll also be at the launch event of Damage Issue #3, "Mothers." If you’re in the area, come say hi.
Here's what’s coming up in late November:
The new 2024/25 Reading Club kicks off this month. The first quadrimester (that’s four months, apparently) is dedicated to the question is politics possible without a sense of place? We start by discussing Georg Simmel’s essay on the alternately individualistic and conformist tendencies stimulated by metropolitan living, as well as Marshall Berman’s analysis of New York’s modernism. See here for the full syllabus.
We’re continuing to reflect on the consequences of Trump’s election, the unipolar moment and what comes next. Tomorrow, Phil talks to Malcolm Kyeyune about US imperial decline. Then Michael Wilkinson tells us about how the EU is the apex of the End of History, and Michael Williams discusses his new volume on the Right around the world.
Finally, in early December, Daniel Bessner will fill us in on Trump’s foreign policy plans.
ICYMI - early November on Bungacast
Dealignment, sure – but realignment too?
US historian Matt Karp was back on Bunga, working through the meaning of Trump’s victory – and perhaps more importantly, the Democrats’ defeat. As Matt argued, the Dems control the institutions of the knowledge economy. Can this election be read as a rejection, in some way, of that social order?
Solidarity doesn’t mean picking “my kinda guy”
Dustin Guastella had a lot to say about pro-family policies, both as a way of rebuilding sociability as well as countering the fertility crisis. But we also discussed the deeper tensions in left-wing politics between individual autonomy and solidarity.
Your sweet liberal auntie is freaking out!
Plenty to sink our teeth into in our ‘letters to the editor’ show, Aufhebonus Bonus, including whether we’ve just put out our worst-ever episode, whether Marx and Freud in conflict, and how we’ve misread Israel’s intentions (they’re bad either way).
Remember, to get all episodes in full, you'll need to subscribe.
Elsewhere in the Bungaverse
Alex has a long read in Aeon magazine putting Brazil’s growing evangelical population up against the country’s history of utopianism. You can read additional thoughts of his regarding politics and religion on his Substack.
Phil is in UnHerd arguing that Euro-populists should ditch Atlanticism and stop following the US’s lead.
From the Archives:
Back in 2020, we learned about the economics and politics of the US’s dollar hegemony in a double-header. How the dollar has negative consequences for ordinary Americans, and how permawar abroad may be related to this global financial architecture.
/139/ Dollar Empire ft. Yakov Feygin & Dominik Leusder
/142/ Dollar Empire (2) ft. Daniel Bessner
